Quito’s location is gold. Few cities in the world flaunt so much to do and discover so nearby. If you are a native, or you have lived in Quito for a while, you know this well, but you might take it for granted… routine certainly takes its toll.
But let Ñan remind you that this is one of the great things about living in Quito is getting out of the city. It’s a cinch! And you needn’t go very far… an hour, an hour and a half and you’ll be shrouded in jungle, sharing with the indigenous heirs of ancestral cultures, on the edge of a volcano or in majestic haciendas with llamas, potato locros and legends from Colonial times.
Here are some of our favorite getaways! And all are excellent places to share with family.
You want jungle… Séptimo Paraíso (Seventh Heaven) does its name justice, with its beautiful manor tucked in amidst the green and lush cloud forest northwest of the capital, a glorious enclave with swimming pools, excellent food, cozy rooms and the magic of nature all around…
If you are looking to depart to the north, to the always fascinating Otavalo area, an excellent and relatively new place to visit and stay is Molino San Juan, with enough space for small children to run, interesting visits nearby, a quaint stay, delicious food and an old Republican mill for ambience.
Hacienda Cusin is also a classic, further north in the Otavalo region, near Lago San Pablo. If you don’t know its historic buildings and beautiful gardens yet, it’s high time you did…! A receptacle of antiques and art, fine textiles and good taste, you’ll also find farm animals and game rooms for the little ones and of course, everything this fascinating region has to discover.
And if you venture south, to the slopes of Cotopaxi, stay at El Porvenir… chock full of activities in nature and páramo for all ages, great traditional food as part of its new menu and an atmosphere that emanates the glory of our beloved snow-peak Cotopaxi…
And if you don’t want to go that far, another place for the kids to run about and lovers to rekindle their love is in the warm and serene hillsides of Puembo, in San José Garden Hotel… or as they call it, The Idyllic Garden…
